Back brace belt and apparatus, and method of belt length adjustment therefor

ABSTRACT

A back brace includes: a back plate; left and right cord plates each slidably mounted to left and right sides of the back plate, respectively, and to which first and second flexible belt members are respectively secured; and a cord guide arrangement for each plate to particularly direct first and second cords. Each of the left and right cord plates include a pair of concentric cord guides, each of which are formed of a circular segment that is 180 degrees or less. The first cord is selectively wound around the pair of concentric cord guides on the upper portions of the left and right cord plates, while the second cord is selectively wound around the pair of concentric cord guides on the lower portion of the cord plates, so pulling on the cords provides a mechanical advantage to buckle the plate to exert a compressive force on the patient&#39;s torso.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/884,271, filed on Aug. 8, 2019, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The subject technology relates generally to an orthopedic device fortreatment of the back, and more particularly to a back brace thatincludes a plate member and belt portions coupled to the plate member,and a method of adjusting the length of the belt portions to fit varioussized persons.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many causes of back pain, particularly with respect to lowerback aches. Many back issues are commonly treated with physical therapy,and/or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs including diclofenac,ibuprofen, and naproxen. In addition, a back brace may be worn to assistwith the healing of back injuries/issues (e.g., for disk problems suchas spinal stenosis and herniated disks, spinal fractures, sciatica,etc.). A back brace may also be worn to decrease the chance of furtherinjury, to help control pain, to support weakened muscles, and topromote good posture.

A typical back brace provides support through use of a wide belt (andsometimes additional apparatus) that may encircle and tend to immobilizethe lower back, by generally limiting or preventing flexion, extension,etc. The additional apparatus may be a flexible plate secured to thebelt, and two pulley arrangements on respective sides of the plate,where a cord or cords may loop around the pulleys and may be pulled todeform the plate into further contact with the wearer's back. The endsof the cord may have a handle that may attach to the belt when not beingactuated.

Since many people that wear such back braces have very different sizedbody frames (e.g., waist sizes), the belt must be configured toaccommodate those various sizes. Among the problems with prior art backbraces is that they typically are the wrong or less than optimal sizefor the particular person, it is the wrong fit, and as soon as thehandles/cables and pulleys are used to deform the plate, the supportthereby provided is no longer in the correct place.

The apparatus and method disclosed herein are devised to easily adjust,and configure (i.e., custom tailor) a belt of a back brace according tothe individual size of the wearer. The apparatus disclosed herein isalso particularly configured to provide a better fit for each individualwearer, and to provide better contact and proper support when thehandles/cables are used in conjunction with pulleys to deform the backplate.

Braces that may be related may be shown within the following U.S. patentand patent application Publication Numbers: U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,214 toHeinz; U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,968 to Heinz; U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,502 toHeyman; U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,620 to Schwenn; U.S. Pat. No. 6,951,547 toPark; U.S. Pat. No. 7,001,348 to Garth; U.S. Pat. No. 7,727,172 to Wang;U.S. Pat. No. 7,905,849 to Park; U.S. Pat. No. 8,142,377 to Garth;2010/0318010 by Sandifer; U.S. Pat. No. 8,172,779 to Ingimundarson; U.S.Pat. No. 8,409,122 to Cropper; U.S. Pat. No. 8,795,214 to Conti; andU.S. Pat. No. 9,393,149 to Garth.

It is noted that citing herein of any patents, published patentapplications, and non-patent literature is not an admission as to any ofthose references constituting prior art with respect to the disclosedand/or claimed apparatus.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a brace that may be worn toprovide support to the wearer's back.

It is another object of the invention to provide a back brace with afirst belt portion and a second belt portion, each portion of which maybe adjusted in length.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of adjustinga length of at least one portion of a belt of a back brace.

It is another object of the invention to provide a back brace with afirst belt portion and a second belt portion each being secured to aplate that may be tensioned to deform, in order to increase support tothe lumbar region of the wearer's back.

It is a further objet of the invention to provide a plate for a backbrace belt that may be contoured with a secondary part to provide bettercontact with the wearer's back when deformed to provide additionalsupport.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a back brace with animproved cord guide arrangement to tension and deform a plate intofurther contact with the lumbar region of the wearer's back.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

A back brace may be formed to include a back plate shaped to correspondto a lumbar region of a back of a patient, and first and second flexiblebelt members each having first and second ends, where the first end ofthe first and second belt members may be configured to removably andrepeatedly secure to first and second end portions of the back plate,respectively, using hook and loop fastening materials. Each of the firstand second belt members may be formed to have a common predeterminedbelt member length, and when secured to the back plate, the brace itselfhas a stock brace length. In order to secure the brace about the waistof the patient, the second ends of the belt members may be configured toremovably and repeatedly secure to each other, e.g., using hook and loopmaterials, where such hook and loop materials are descriptive names forsuch materials that are sold under the trademark VELCRO®.

A method for sizing the back brace may begin by forming a flexibleelongated measurement member to have a length equaling the stock bracelength, and by securing a length of hook material on a first end of theflexible elongated measurement member. A marker may be configured forsliding upon the flexible measurement member, and may have a loopmaterial fixedly secured thereto, which loop material is configured toreleasably secure to the hook material on the flexible elongatedmeasurement member. Next the flexible measurement member may be wrappedaround the waist of the patient with its first end overlapping onto anexcess amount of the length of the measurement member. The marker may beslid onto the flexible elongated measurement member until contacting thefirst end of the flexible elongated measurement member, which identifiesthe excess amount of the brace length. The flexible elongatedmeasurement member is then folded, causing contacting and coupling ofthe hook material on its first end with the loop material of the marker,with the folded portion of the flexible elongated measurement memberidentifying an excess length amount for each of the first and secondflexible belt members. The first end of the first and second beltmembers may be disconnected from the back plate, and may be laid upon aflat surface. One end of the folded portion of the flexible elongatedmeasurement member is positioned adjacent to the first end of the firstbelt member, and is aligned therewith. The first belt member may be cutto remove the excess length amount by cutting proximate to a second endof the folded portion of the flexible elongated measurement member. Thesame may be done for the second belt member. The first ends of the firstand second belt member may then be reconnected to the first and secondend portions of the back plate, and the brace may be secured to thewaist of the wearer, with a small amount of overlap between the secondends of the first and second belt members.

The above described back brace may also include first and second cords,and a particular cord guide arrangement. The cord guide arrangement mayinclude a left cord plate and a right cord plate, which may be laterallyand medially slidably mounted to the left and right sides of the backplate, respectively, and to which the belt members may be secured (e.g.,using hook and loop materials), rather than being directly secured tothe back plate, as noted above. The left cord plate may include:

-   -   a first upper cord guide, the first upper cord guide positioned        on an upper portion of the left cord plate;    -   a second upper cord guide, the second upper cord guide        positioned concentric to the first upper cord guide;    -   a first lower cord guide, the first lower cord guide positioned        on a lower portion of the left cord plate; and    -   a second lower cord guide, the second lower cord guide        positioned concentric to the first lower cord guide.

The right cord plate may include:

-   -   a first upper cord guide, the first upper cord guide of the        right cord plate positioned on an upper portion of the right        cord plate;    -   a second upper cord guide, the second upper cord guide of the        right cord plate positioned concentric to the first upper cord        guide of the right cord plate;    -   a first lower cord guide, the first lower cord guide of the        right cord plate positioned on a lower portion of the right cord        plate; and    -   a second lower cord guide, the second lower cord guide of the        right cord plate positioned concentric to the first lower cord        guide of the right cord plate.

Each cord guide may be formed of a circular segment that may be about180 degrees, or may be slightly more than 180 degrees, or may be lessthan 180 degrees.

The first cord may be sequentially wound around the first upper cordguide of the right cord plate, the first upper cord guide of the leftcord plate, the second upper cord guide of the of the right cord plate,the second upper cord guide of the left cord plate, and with a first endof the first cord thereafter secured to the right cord plate.

The second cord may be sequentially wound around the first lower cordguide of the left cord plate, the first lower cord guide of the rightcord plate, the second lower cord guide of the of the left cord plate,the second lower cord guide of the right cord plate, and with a firstend of the second cord thereafter secured to the left cord plate.

The free ends of the cords may be secured to a respective handle, whichhandles may be releasably secured to the belt, after tensioning of thebrace, using hook and loop materials respectively on the handle andbelt.

The concentric cord guide walls with the cord looped around as describedabove provides a mechanical advantage to buckle the plate to exert acompressive force on the patient's torso, when a load is applied on thetwo cords simultaneously, by pulling on each cord via the handle by thepatient, and thereafter releasably securing the handles to the beltmembers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description of the various example embodiments is explained inconjunction with appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of a back brace disclosedherein;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a measurement apparatus that may be used foradjusting the length of the belt of the back brace of FIG. 1, which mayinclude a flexible elongated member, a marker that may be slidable uponthe flexible elongated member, and hook and loop materials with one ofeach disposed on the marker and upon the end of the flexible elongatedmember;

FIG. 2A the front view of FIG. 2, showing only the flexible elongatedmember;

FIG. 3 illustrates the measurement apparatus of FIG. 2 disposed aboutthe waist of a person preparing to adjust the length of the belt of theback brace of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates the measurement apparatus of FIG. 3 disposed aboutthe waist of a person, but is shown after the marker has been slid tothe point indicating the waist measurement;

FIG. 5 shows the measurement apparatus of FIG. 4 after being removedfrom the person's waist;

FIG. 6 shows the measurement apparatus of FIG. 5, but after folding overthe end of the strip for the hook material located thereat to couple tothe loop material on the marker;

FIG. 7 shows the first and second belt members of the back brace of FIG.1 after being detached from the central plate assembly;

FIG. 8 shows the end of the measurement apparatus aligned with theattachment end of the first belt member, with the marker indicating theamount of material to be cut from the end of the belt member;

FIG. 9 is the back brace as shown in FIG. 1 without the belt membershaving been trimmed for the brace to be custom fit for the wearer;

FIG. 10 is the back brace of FIG. 1, but shown after the belt membershave been trimmed for the brace to be custom fit for the wearer;

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the component parts that may be assembledto form another back brace, which is shown with a first embodiment of aheight-adjustment member releasably secured at a first position of thedeformable back plate;

FIG. 12 shows the component parts of FIG. 11, after being assembled toform the back brace, and being shown with a second embodiment of aheight-adjustment member releasably secured at a first position of thedeformable back plate;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the deformable back plate and theheight-adjustment member of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a side view of the deformable back plate shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of an attachment protrusion ofthe height-adjustment member of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged front view of the cords and the concentric cordguide arrangement of the back brace of FIG. 12;

FIG. 17 is a front perspective view of one of the cord guide structuresshown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 17A shows an alternate structure for the cord guide wall, beingformed of a plurality of cylindrical members;

FIG. 18 is a rear perspective view of the two cord guide structuresshown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the handle for the cord with an ovalthumb hole, as shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 20A is a side view of the handle shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 20B is the side view of FIG. 20A, but shown with the cover portiondeformed upwards to expose the interior;

FIGS. 21-24 are a series of perspective views of another back braceembodiment;

FIG. 25 is an exploded view of the component parts of the back brace ofFIGS. 21-24;

FIGS. 26-29 are a series of perspective views of yet another embodimentof a back brace with a deformable back plate and a height-adjustmentmember;

FIGS. 30A-30B show the back brace of FIGS. 26-29 with the heightadjustment member being positioned respectively at first and secondheights;

FIG. 31 is an exploded view of the component parts of the back brace ofFIGS. 26-29;

FIGS. 32-36 are a series of perspective views of yet a differentembodiment of a back brace with a deformable back plate and aheight-adjustment member that is slidably coupled to the back plateusing a pair of protrusions on the height-adjustment member andcorresponding slots on the back plate;

FIG. 37 shows another back brace embodiment having a taller back plate,and a height adjustment member slidably coupled thereto, and therebybeing positionable at a plurality of different heights;

FIG. 37A is an exploded view of the component parts of the back brace ofFIG. 37;

FIGS. 38-41 show a series of perspective views of a torso brace that hasa deformable back plate with a height-adjustment member, and a frontplate that has its own height adjustment member and are formed similarto the back plate and back adjustment member;

FIGS. 42A-42B show the torso brace of FIGS. 38-41, but with each of thetwo height adjustment members being positioned respectively at first andsecond heights; and

FIG. 43 is an exploded view of the component parts of the torso brace ofFIGS. 38-41.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As used throughout this specification, the word “may” is used in apermissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than amandatory sense (i.e., meaning must), as more than one embodiment of theinvention may be disclosed herein. Similarly, the words “include”,“including”, and “includes” mean including but not limited to.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” may beopen-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive inoperation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, Band C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, and “A, B, and/or C” herein meansall of the following possible combinations: A alone; or B alone; or Calone; or A and B together; or A and C together; or B and C together; orA, B and C together.

Also, the disclosures of all patents, published patent applications, andnon-patent literature cited within this document are incorporated hereinin their entirety by reference. However, it is noted that citing hereinof any patents, published patent applications, and non-patent literatureis not an admission as to any of those references constituting prior artwith respect to the disclosed apparatus.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics ofany particular embodiment disclosed herein, may be combined in anysuitable manner with any of the other embodiments disclosed herein.

Additionally, any approximating language, as used herein throughout thespecification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative orqualitative representation that could permissibly vary without resultingin a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, avalue modified by a term such as “about” is not to be limited to theprecise value specified, and may include values that differ from thespecified value in accordance with applicable case law. Also, in atleast some instances, a numerical difference provided by theapproximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrumentthat may be used for measuring the value. A numerical differenceprovided by the approximating language may also correspond to amanufacturing tolerance associated with production of the aspect/featurebeing quantified. Furthermore, a numerical difference provided by theapproximating language may also correspond to an overall tolerance forthe aspect/feature that may be derived from variations resulting from astack up (i.e., the sum) of a multiplicity of such individualtolerances.

Any use of a friction fit (i.e., an interface fit) between two matingparts described herein indicates that the opening (e.g., a hole) issmaller than the part received therein (e.g., a shaft), which may be aslight interference in one embodiment in the range of 0.0001 inches to0.0003 inches, or an interference of 0.0003 inches to 0.0007 inches inanother embodiment, or an interference of 0.0007 inches to 0.0010 inchesin yet another embodiment, or a combination of such ranges. Other valuesfor the interference may also be used in different configurations (seee.g., “Press Fit Engineering and Design Calculator,” available at:www.engineersedge.com/calculators/machine-design/press-fit/press-fit-calculator.htm).

Any described use of a clearance fit indicates that the opening (e.g., ahole) is larger than the part received therein (e.g., a shaft), enablingthe two parts to move (e.g. to slide and/or rotate) when assembled,where the gap between the opening and the part may depend upon the sizeof the part and the type of clearance fit (e.g., for a 0.1250 inch shaftdiameter the opening may be 0.1285 inches for a close fit and may be0.1360 inches for a free (running) fit; and for a 0.5000 inch diametershaft size the opening may be 0.5156 inches for a close clearance fitand may be 0.5312 inches for a free clearance fit). Other clearanceamounts may also be used.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosed apparatus, aback brace 100 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 7 may broadly include a firstbelt member 110, a second belt member 120, and a central plate assembly130. At least a portion 113 of the first belt member 110 and at least aportion 123 of the second belt member 120 may be formed of a loopmaterial, and the two sides 133 of the central plate assembly 130 may beformed of a hook material (e.g., hook and loop materials that may besold under the trade name “Velcro”) for releasable coupling of the beltmembers to the central plate assembly. Alternatively, the positioning ofthe hook and loop materials may be reversed.

FIG. 2 shows a measurement apparatus 190 that may be used in a processfor adjusting the length of each of the first belt member 110 and thesecond belt member 120 of the back brace 100. The measurement apparatus190 includes: a flexible elongated member 191, a marker 192 configuredto slide upon the flexible elongated member, and hook and loop materialswith one secured to the marker and one secured to the end of theflexible elongated member (e.g., a hook or loop material 192H/L securedto the marker 192, and a loop or hook material 193L/H secured to the endof the flexible elongated member). The flexible elongated member 191(FIG. 2A) may be any suitable flexible member that can be wrapped aroundthe waist of the wearer of the back brace 100, including, but notlimited to, a string, a flat paper/tape, etc. The length of the flexibleelongated member 191 would be substantially the same of the initiallength of the back brace 100 as shown in FIG. 1.

The process may begin with the person wrapping the flexible elongatedmember 191 of the measurement apparatus 190 around his/her waist, asshown in FIG. 3. The person may next slide the marker 192 until itreaches the first end of the flexible elongated member 191, as shown inFIG. 4, which identifies an amount of overlap, i.e., an excess beltlength 191L. The measurement apparatus 190 with the marker so positionedto identify the excess belt length 191L is shown in a flattenedcondition in FIG. 5, after being removed from the person's waist. Theflexible elongated member 191 may be folded for the end 191A to justreach the end 192A of the marker 192, so that only half of the excessbelt length 191L may extend beyond the marker. However, this would makethe adjusted/trimmed belt length exactly the same as the waist of thewearer, and may leave little or no overlap to permit comfortablecoupling of the end portion of the first belt member 110 to the endportion of the second belt member 120. Therefore, the flexible elongatedmember 191 may be folded such that the hook material (or loop material)193L/H located beginning at the end 191A may be releasably coupled tothe loop material (or hook material) 192H/L on the marker 192; so asseen in FIG. 6 the amount of the flexible elongated member 191 thatprotrudes beyond the marker 192 may be a measured amount less than halfof the excess belt length 191L (i.e., the measured amount being roughlyone-half of the extent/length of the hook/loop materials on the marker192). The measured amount may be set to provide sufficient overlap ofthe end portion of the first belt member 110 with the end portion of thesecond belt member 120 when the back brace 100 is positioned about thewaist of the person. In one embodiment, the measured amount may bebetween 1.0 inch and 1.5 inches; and in another embodiment, the measuredamount may be between 1.5 inch and 2.0 inches; and in yet anotherembodiment, the measured amount may be between 2.5 inch and 3.0 inches;and in other embodiments, a combination of such ranges or other rangesmay alternatively be used.

Next, the measurement apparatus 190 may be successively positionedadjacent to each of the first belt member 110 and the second belt member120, so that the folded over end is aligned with the end of the beltmembers as shown in FIG. 8. The end 192A of the marker 192 identifiesthe desired location for cutting/trimming of the belt members 110/120,which cutting/trimming may be done using a scissors or other suitablecutting apparatus. The length of the hook material (or loop material)193L/H located at the end 191A of the flexible elongated member 191 maybe formed to be substantially equal to the length of the loop material(or hook material) 192H/L used on the marker 192; so during theabove-described folding of the flexible elongated member 191, asubstantial entirety of the length the hook material (or loop material)193L/H at its end 191A may be positioned to overlie a substantialentirety of the loop material (or hook material) 192H/L on the marker192, as it is coupled thereto.

After both the first belt member 110 and the second belt member 120 havebeen trimmed, they may each be reattached to the central plate assembly130 using the hook and loop materials. FIG. 9 shows the original lengthof the back brace 100 with the untrimmed first and second belt members110/120, and FIG. 10 shows the length-adjusted back brace 100′ with thetrimmed first belt member 110′ and the trimmed second belt member 120′.Note that FIG. 8 shows that each of the belt members may have a linemarking 109 to indicate that such an excessive amount of the belt memberis to be trimmed off that a smaller belt member size may preferably beused instead.

To be further illustrative, a numerical example is provided. A finallength for the back brace that provides a two inch overlap of the endsof the belts may be desired, which would require the extent of the hookmaterial (or loop material) 193L/H located beginning at the end 191A ofthe flexible elongated member 191 be two (2) inches in length.Therefore, in the case where the excess length 191L may be 10 inches,the amount that the length of the brace should be shortened would be 8inches; and thus the amount that the first and second belt members wouldeach need to be shortened is 4 inches. So when the flexible elongatedmember 191 is folded for the two-inch long hook material (or loopmaterial) 193L/H located beginning at the end 191A to be releasablycoupled to the loop material (or hook material) 192H/L on the marker192, the amount that the flexible elongated member 191 protrudes beyondthe marker 192 (see FIG. 8) will be four inches (i.e., the ten inchexcess length on the elongated member 191 is reduced by the two inchlength of the hook material (or loop material) 193L/H, leaving only afour inch long flattened loop that will serve as a cutting guide toremove four inches off each of the ends of the first and second beltmembers 110/120).

In another embodiment the person could also use only the flexibleelongated member 191, without the marker 192 or the hook material/loopmaterial 193L/H located on the end of the flexible elongated member 191,but the person would have to use his/her fingers to mark the flexibleelongated member and then fold it over and hold next to the belt membersto identify the trim location.

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the component parts that may be assembledto form another back brace, which is shown with a first embodiment of aheight-adjustment member releasably secured at a first position of thedeformable back plate, while FIG. 12 shows the component parts of FIG.11 after being assembled to form the back brace, and is shown with asecond embodiment of a height-adjustment member releasably secured at afirst position of the deformable back plate.

The back brace 200 that is shown in FIG. 12 may broadly include a firstbelt member 210, a second (i.e., right) belt member 220, a central backplate member 230, a first cord plate 240, a second cord plate 250, afirst cord 261, a second cord 262, a pair of handle members 270A/270B.As such, the brace 200 may not have a characteristic left side and rightside, and may be worn either way by the patient. However, the brace 200may also include features to support a height-adjustment member 280,which is shown in the exploded view of FIG. 11. Where a heightadjustment member such as height adjustment member 280 is utilized onthe brace, which is intended to adjust upwardly to provide support to amore elevated portion of the patient's back, one side of the brace maybe properly characterized as the left side, and the other side of thebrace may be properly characterized as the right side, although such aleft/right characterization may be used herein merely to be descriptive,without importing the requirement of an adjustment member into theparticularly described and/or claimed brace embodiment.

The central back plate member 230 is shown in detail in FIG. 13 and FIG.14. As shown therein the central back plate member 230 may be formed togenerally match the contours of a person's back, including the curvedtransitions/inversions moving in a vertical direction from the person'sbackside to their lumbar region, and up towards the thoracic region oftheir spine. In addition, the central back plate member 230 may beformed to generally match the lateral contours of a person's body, i.e.,the curved transitions moving from the right side, across their spinalregion, and over towards their left side. In one embodiment the centralback plate member 230 may be formed into several different sizes (e.g.,extra-small, small, medium, large, extra-large, double-extra-large,etc.).

The back plate member 230 may also be formed to include severalpluralities of distributed openings 230P (e.g., in the upper leftquadrant, the upper right quadrant, the lower left quadrant, and thelower right quadrant), which openings may assist in deforming the plateinto contact with the wearer's back, as a result of loading imposed bythe cords 261/262 and the cord plates 240/250.

The back plate member 230 may also be formed to include at least onepair of openings 231A/231B in one embodiment, and may be formed toinclude four additional similarly formed pairs of openings in anotherembodiment, which pair (or pairs) of openings may be configured toreceive corresponding pairs of particularly shaped protrusions formed onthe height-adjustment member 280, as seen in FIG. 13 and FIG. 15. Theshape of the protrusion is shown in detail in FIG. 15, and it may have atrapezoidal shape, with a first angled side (e.g., 281Ai) to accommodateengagement with the respective opening, and a second angled side (e.g.,281Aii) to accommodate disengagement from the respective opening. In oneembodiment the back plate member 230 may be formed with only one pair ofprotrusions (e.g., 281A/281B) that may engage any one of the one or morepairs of openings formed in the height-adjustment member 280, so with,for example, five pairs of openings, the height adjustment member may bepositioning in any one of five height-adjusted positions using thesingle pair of protrusions. (Note that other numbers of pairs of openingother than five may be used to produce other numbers of possibleheight-adjusted positions). In another embodiment, to provide for a morestable mounting of the height-adjustment member 280 to the back platemember 230, the height-adjustment member may be formed to have two pairsof protrusions (e.g., e.g., 281A/281B, 282A/282B), which fourprotrusions may engage two pairs of the openings in the back platemember, permitting four height-adjusted positions when five pairs ofopenings are used. In yet another embodiment, the height-adjustmentmember may be formed to have three pairs of protrusions (e.g., e.g.,281A/281B, 282A/282B, 283A/283B), as shown in FIG. 13, which sixprotrusions may engage three pairs of openings in the back plate member,permitting three height-adjusted positions when five pairs of openingsare used.

The back plate member 230 may also be formed to include a firstlaterally slotted hole 236 and a second laterally slotted hole 237 (seeFIG. 13), which slotted holes may be configured to respectively receivethe outstanding leg of the T-shaped protrusions 241/251 formed on therear side of each of the first cord plate 240 and second cord plate 250,as shown in FIG. 18. The outstanding leg of the T-shaped protrusions maybe rounded to permit pivoting of each cord guide member with respect toits slotted hole, or instead may be an elongated rectangular shape tomerely permit sliding of each cord guide protrusion within therespective slotted hole.

The first cord plate 240 and the second cord plate 250 may be the samepart but which are opposingly mounted with respect to the slotted holesin the back plate member 230. As such, a left-hand part and a right-hand(i.e., a mirror image) part are not necessary, as the same part may beused for the left side and the right side of the brace, by just beingrotated 180 degrees. Therefore, the following description proceeds withrespect to the first cord plate 240, but is also applicable to thesecond cord plate 250.

The front side of each cord plate 240 (see FIG. 17) may include a firstconcentric set of cord guides 241 and a second concentric set of cordguides 242, which second set may be formed the same as the first set.The first concentric sets of cord guides 241 may be formed to include atleast a first curved cord guide wall 241A, and a second curved cordguide wall 241B being concentric with respect to the first curved cordguide wall 241A, where each may be substantially semi-circular in shape,or be a portion of a circular shape, and have different radii but whichboth originate at (i.e., are centered upon) substantially the same axiallocation (i.e., being substantially concentric). It is also noted thateach curved wall need not be a full semi-circular wall portion (i.e.,being 180 degrees of arc) or a single circular wall portion being lessthan 180 degrees, and could be made of a plurality of semi-circular wallportions (e.g., each may be formed of two curved wall portions formedwith 85 degrees of arc with a five degree spacing therebetween). Also,in another embodiment, a cord guide arrangement other than a “wall” thatmay smoothly turn the direction of the cord 180 degrees may be formed bya plurality of cylindrical members or other shaped members (see FIG.17A).

The second concentric sets of cord guides 242 may similarly be formed toinclude at least a first curved cord guide wall 242A, and a secondcurved cord guide wall 242B being concentric with respect to the firstcurved cord guide wall 242A.

To prevent detaching of the cords 261/262 from the curved walls 241/242,each of the cord guides 240A/240B may be formed to generally enclose thecurved walls, as seen in FIG. 17, and may also be provided with a seriesof openings to permit entry/exit of the cord (i.e., openings 243 and244), and openings to assist in threading of the cord through the cordguides. An opening 245 may also be provided for securing of the firstend of the cord thereto (i.e., being looped through and tied off-seeFIG. 16), although other methods of securing the cord thereto mayalternatively be used, including, but not limited to, adhesive bonding,a mechanical fastener, etc. The first end of each cord may preferably besecured proximate to the center of the curved cord guide walls (i.e.,the origin of the radius).

The front side of each cord plate 240/250 (see FIG. 17) may include aprotrusion 246 that may have a through-opening 246P orientedsubstantially perpendicular to a direction being between a center ofeach of the upper and lower cord guides of the respective left and rightcord plate, which may be used to further guide the cord after exitingthe concentric set of cord guides 240A/240B, as shown in FIG. 16.

As seen in FIG. 16, the first cord 261 may sequentially loop around thecord guide wall 241A of the right cord plate 250, the cord guide wall242A of the left cord plate 240, the concentric cord guide wall 241B ofthe right cord plate, the concentric cord guide wall 242B of the leftcord plate, and with a first end of the second cord thereafter beingsecured to the right cord plate 250; similarly, the second cord 262 maysequentially the cord guide wall 241A of the left cord plate 240, thecord guide wall 242A of the right cord plate 250, the concentric cordguide wall 241B of the left cord plate, the concentric cord guide wall242B of the right cord plate, and with a first end of the second cordthereafter being secured to the left cord plate 250.

The concentric cord guide walls with the cord looped around as describedprovide a mechanical advantage to buckle the plate to exert acompressive force on the patient's torso, when a load is applies on thetwo cords simultaneously, by pulling on each cord by the patient.

The second end of each of the first cord 261 and second cord 262 may becoupled to the respective handle member 270A/270B for easier pulling ofthe cords by the patient. Each handle member may be formed as shown inFIG. 19 and FIGS. 20A-20B. The handle members may be formed to include abase 271, an upstanding leg 272 about which the cord may be wrapped, anda cover member 273, which may be made of a flexible material, such thatit may normally overlie the wrapped cord but may flex to be deformedaway from the base as shown in FIG. 20B. The flexible cover member isconfigured to flex into contact with said base, and to be deformed awayfrom said contact by winding of the respective cord therebetween andabout said leg. The second end of the cord may be secured to the handlein any suitable manner, including, but not limited to, the methodsdescribed hereinabove with respect to attachment of the first end of thecord to the cord plates 240/250. Alternatively or additionally, the base271 may be formed with a post 275 to which the second end of the cordmay be secured/tied. The exterior side of the base may have a hookmaterial formed thereon or positioned thereon to permit its releasableattachment to the belt members 210/220, as seen in FIG. 12.

Each side of the cord plates 240/250 opposite the cord entry/exitopenings 243/244 may also have a respective piece of hook material240H/250H formed thereon or secured thereon (see FIG. 11) to permitrespective and releasable attachment thereto of the belt members210/220. The hook material 240H/250H may be wide enough to permit somesecondary adjustment to the length of the back brace 100, apart from thecutting/trimming process described above.

FIGS. 21-24 show a series of perspective views of a back brace 300.

FIGS. 26-30B show a series of perspective views of a back brace 400 thatis formed similar to the brace 300, but which also includes aheight-adjustment member 480 that may adjustably attach to the centralback plate member 430 the same as for brace 200.

FIGS. 32-36 are a series of perspective views of a back brace 500 thatis formed similar to the back brace 400, but where the height-adjustmentmember 580 is slidably coupled to the back plate 530 using a pair ofprotrusions on the height-adjustment member that are slidably receivedin corresponding slots on the back plate.

FIG. 37 shows a back brace 600 that is formed similar to brace 500, butwhich has a taller back plate 630, and has a height adjustment member680 slidably coupled thereto to be positionable at a plurality ofdifferent heights.

FIGS. 38-41 show a torso brace 700 that has a deformable back plate witha height-adjustment member, and a front plate that has its own heightadjustment member, each of which adjustment plates may be formed similarto the back plate and height adjustment member of brace 500. FIGS.42A-42B show the torso brace 700 with the height adjustment member beingpositioned respectively at first and second heights.

The sliding fit between each adjustment member and corresponding backplate may be accomplished using a slight friction fit.

While illustrative implementations of one or more embodiments of thedisclosed apparatus are provided hereinabove, those skilled in the artand having the benefit of the present disclosure will appreciate thatfurther embodiments may be implemented with various changes within thescope of the disclosed apparatus. Other modifications, substitutions,omissions and changes may be made in the design, size, materials used orproportions, operating conditions, assembly sequence, or arrangement orpositioning of elements and members of the exemplary embodiments withoutdeparting from the spirit of this invention.

Accordingly, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should notbe limited by any of the above-described example embodiments, but shouldbe defined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A back brace comprising: a back plate; a leftcord plate slidably coupled to a left side of said back plate to slidelaterally and medially; said left cord plate comprising: a first uppercord guide, said first upper cord guide positioned on an upper portionof said left cord plate; a second upper cord guide, said second uppercord guide positioned concentric to said first upper cord guide; a firstlower cord guide, said first lower cord guide positioned on a lowerportion of said left cord plate; a second lower cord guide, said secondlower cord guide positioned concentric to said first lower cord guide; aright cord plate slidably coupled to a right side of said back plate toslide laterally and medially; said right cord plate comprising: a firstupper cord guide, said first upper cord guide of said right cord platepositioned on an upper portion of said right cord plate; a second uppercord guide, said second upper cord guide of said right cord platepositioned concentric to said first upper cord guide of said right cordplate; a first lower cord guide, said first lower cord guide of saidright cord plate positioned on a lower portion of said right cord plate;a second lower cord guide, said second lower cord guide of said rightcord plate positioned concentric to said first lower cord guide of saidright cord plate; a first cord; wherein said first cord sequentiallywinds around said first upper cord guide of said right cord plate, saidfirst upper cord guide of said left cord plate, said second upper cordguide of said right cord plate, said second upper cord guide of saidleft cord plate, and with a first end of said first cord thereaftersecured to said right cord plate; a second cord; wherein said secondcord sequentially winds around said first lower cord guide of said leftcord plate, said first lower cord guide of said right cord plate, saidsecond lower cord guide of said left cord plate, said second lower cordguide of said right cord plate, and with a first end of said second cordthereafter secured to said left cord plate; a first flexible beltmember; a first end of said first flexible belt member secured to a leftside of said left cord plate; a second flexible belt member; a first endof said second flexible belt member secured to a right side of saidright cord plate; means for releasably securing a second end of saidfirst flexible belt member to a second end of said second flexible beltmember.
 2. The back brace according to claim 1, wherein each said cordguide comprises a circular segment.
 3. The back brace according to claim2, wherein said circular segment of each said cord guide is 180 degreesor less.
 4. The back brace according to claim 3, wherein a second end ofsaid first cord is attached to a first handle; and wherein a second endof said second cord is attached to a second handle.
 5. The back braceaccording to claim 4, wherein said left cord plate comprises aprotrusion positioned between its upper and lower cord guides, saidprotrusion comprising a hole oriented substantially perpendicular to adirection being between a center of each of its upper and lower cordguides, with a portion of said first cord between said winding aroundsaid first upper cord guide of said right cord plate and said firsthandle passes through said hole; and wherein said right cord platecomprises a protrusion positioned between its upper and lower cordguides, said protrusion of said right cord plate comprising a holeoriented substantially perpendicular to a direction being between acenter of each of its upper and lower cord guides, with a portion ofsaid second cord between said winding around said first lower cord guideof said left cord plate and said second handle passes through said hole.6. The back brace according to claim 5, wherein each said handlecomprises: a base; a leg configured to protrude away from a center of afirst side of said base to a distal end; a flexible cover member, saidflexible cover member secured to said distal end of said leg, saidflexible cover member configured to flex into contact with said base,and to be deformed away from said contact by winding of the respectivecord therebetween and about said leg.
 7. The back brace according toclaim 6, further comprising a vertical adjustment plate configured to bepositioned to said back plate at a plurality of different positions. 8.The back brace according to claim 7, wherein said vertical adjustmentplate is slidable with respect to said back plate.
 9. The back braceaccording to claim 7, wherein said vertical adjustment plate isreleasably coupled to said back plate by protrusions on said verticaladjustment plate being received within corresponding openings on saidback plate.
 10. The back brace according to claim 7, further comprisinga front plate secured to one of said flexible belt members.
 11. The backbrace according to claim 6, wherein each said handle comprises hookmaterial configured to be releasably secured to loop material on arespective said belt member.
 12. The back brace according to claim 3,wherein said first end of said first cord is secured to said right cordplate in proximity to a center of said circular upper cord guides ofsaid right cord plate; and wherein said first end of said second cord issecured to said left cord plate in proximity to a center of saidcircular lower cord guides of said left cord plate.
 13. A method forsizing a back brace, the back brace including: a back plate shaped tocorrespond to a lumbar region of a back of a patient, and first andsecond flexible belt members each having first and second ends, thefirst end of the first and second belt members configured to removablyand repeatedly secure to first and second end portions of the backplate, respectively, using hook and loop fastening materials, each ofthe first and second belt members having a predetermined belt memberlength, and when secured to the back plate, the brace having apredetermined brace length, the sizing method comprising the steps of:forming a flexible elongated measurement member having a length equalingthe predetermined brace length, and securing a length of hook materialon a first end of the flexible elongated measurement member; forming amarker for sliding upon said flexible elongated measurement member, andsecuring a loop material to the marker; wrapping the flexible elongatedmeasurement member around the waist of the patient with its first endoverlapping onto an excess amount of the length of the measurementmember; sliding the marker until contacting a second end of the flexibleelongated measurement member for identifying an excess amount of thebrace length; folding a portion of the flexible elongated measurementmember causing contacting and coupling of the hook material on its firstend with the loop material of the marker, with the folded portion of theflexible elongated measurement member identifying an excess lengthamount for each of the first and second flexible belt members;disconnecting the first ends of the first and second belt members fromthe back plate; positioning one end of the folded portion of theflexible elongated measurement member adjacent to the first end of eachof the first and second belt members, and cutting the excess lengthamount of each of the first and second flexible belt members from thefirst end of each of the first and second belt members by cuttingproximate to a second end of the folded portion of the flexibleelongated measurement member; reconnecting the first ends of the firstand second belt member to the first and second end portions of the backplate.
 14. The method for sizing a back brace according to claim 13,further comprising the steps of: forming a length of the loop materialof the marker equaling a length of the hook material of the flexibleelongated measurement member; and overlaying a substantial entirety ofthe length of the loop material of the marker onto the length of thehook material of the flexible elongated measurement member during saidcoupling.